NotePlayMusicKey Signatures: True or False Practice
Quick true/false checks on the Grade 1 key signatures (C, F, G, D major), starting from two ported ABRSM-style questions.
Check the sharps and flats of four major keys
The key signature after the clef marks notes that normally stay sharp or flat throughout a piece. For these checks, C major has no sharps or flats; G major has F sharp; D major has F sharp and C sharp; and F major has B flat.
Sharps are added in order: F before C. Flats begin with B. Compare the entire signature with the claimed key instead of guessing from the first sign alone.
How to work it out
- Name the claimed major key and recall its complete list of altered letters.
- Count and name the signs in the statement; a missing or extra sign makes the statement false.
Worked example
Someone says D major has only F sharp. Is the signature complete?
No. D major uses both F sharp and C sharp. A one-sharp signature belongs to G major.
Watch for this mistake
A key with sharps is not identified merely by the presence of a sharp: G and D major have different numbers of them.
Why does G major have an F♯?
Play G major on white keys, hear the tone and semitone land the wrong way round, and watch one black key fix the pattern.
Learning objectives
- Know how many sharps or flats are in C, G, D, and F major.
- Recognize which key signatures use sharps vs. flats.
Worksheet
There is one flat in the key signature of F major.
Answer: ______________________
There is one sharp in the key signature of D major.
Answer: ______________________
C major has no sharps or flats in its key signature.
Answer: ______________________
G major has one sharp in its key signature: F sharp.
Answer: ______________________
Answer Key
- True — F major has one flat in its key signature: B flat.
- False — D major has two sharps, not one: F sharp and C sharp.
- True — C major is the only major key with no sharps or flats.
- True — G major has one sharp: F sharp.